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AUTHORITIES.
"Let every soul be in subjection to
the superior authorities , 1
for there is no authority except by God; the existing authorities stand
placed in their relative positions by God. Therefore he who opposes the
authority has taken a stand against the arrangement #
of God;
those who have taken a stand against it will receive
Judgement to themselves.
For those ruling 2
are an object of fear, 3
not to the good deed, but to the bad. Do you, then, want to have no fear
of the authority? Keep doing good, and you will have praise from it; for it is
God's
minister 4
to you for your good. But if you are doing what is bad, be in fear: for it is
not without purpose that it bears the sword; for it is God's minister, an
avenger to express wrath upon the one practicing what is bad." (Rom 13:1-4).
"Children be obedient to your parents in union with the Lord, for this is
righteous: "Honour your father and your mother"; which is the first command
with a promise: "That it may go well with you and you may endure a long time on
the earth." And you, fathers, do not be irritating your children, but go on
bringing them up in the discipline
and
mental‑regulating #
of Jehovah." (Eph 6:1-4). |
.
◄ The
"superior authorities" 1
are the laws of God placed in their relative positions by Him. As for "those ruling" 2
they are an "object of fear" 3 because they punish
only bad deeds. "Those ruling" are
not
the "superior authorities" for they
are
not
"God's minister 4 to you for
your good."
# Those
who interfere with a father's "mental-regulating" of their
children according to the laws of God are taking a stand against the arrangement
of God.
SCHOOL:
[from Gr. Skho.lé, basically, "leisure"; that for which leisure was
employed, a disputation, lecture, study, learning; by metonymy, school].
The Creator
places the responsibility upon parents to teach their offspring the true
meaning of life, their spiritual lives and their physical lives. This
training is to be a guide not only in their youth, but also in their old age.
(Prov
22:6).
Parents are obligated to begin the
training of their children during infancy.
(2 Tim 3:14-17).
To fulfil this obligation they are to provide schooling for their children at
home. There were no community schools for children in ancient Israel. The
home was the school. The parent was to teach by example as well as by precept,
and schooling was a regular and continuous arrangement. |
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THE SOURCE OF POWER OF
"THOSE RULING" 2
AS AN "OBJECT OF FEAR" 3:
"And I saw a
wild beast* ascending
out of the sea,*
with ten horns and seven heads… And the dragon*
gave to the beast its power and its throne and great authority. And I saw
one of its heads as though slaughtered to death, but its death-stroke*
got healed, and all the earth followed the wild beast with admiration. And they
worshipped the dragon because it gave the authority to the wild beast,
and they worshipped the wild beast with the words: "Who is like the wild beast,
and who can do battle with it?"… And I saw another wild beast ascending out of
the earth, and it had two horns like a lamb, but it began speaking as a
dragon… And it makes the earth and those who dwell in it worship the
first wild beast, whose death-stroke got healed... And it misleads those
who dwell on the earth, because of the signs that were granted it to perform in
the sight of the wild beast, while it tells those who dwell on the earth to
make an image to the wild beast that had the sword-stroke and yet revived.
And there was granted it to give breath to the image of the wild beast,
so that the image of the wild beast should both speak and cause to be killed
all those who would not in any way worship the image of the wild beast…
"She has fallen! Babylon* the great has fallen, she who made all the
nations drink of the wine of the anger of her fornication!"… If anyone worships
the wild beast and its image, and receives a mark on his forehead or upon
his hand, he will also drink of the wine of the anger of God that is poured out
undiluted into the cup of His wrath, and he shall be tormented with
fire and
sulphur* in the sight of the holy angels and in
the sight of the Lamb."* (From Rev 13:1 to 14:13). |